COVID Wellbeing Service comes to a successful close

Following a successful two years of supporting residents through the most challenging periods of the pandemic, the Redbridge Wellbeing Service has come to a close as national restrictions are lifted, and the government has announced its plan for Living with COVID.

In March 2020, Redbridge Council launched the ground-breaking Wellbeing Service to support Redbridge residents through the COVID-19 pandemic. A new support hotline, staffed seven days a week by council employees and volunteers, was created to ensure essential food, medicine, and critical advice were available to local people as part of the service.

The Wellbeing Service was created within 24 hours of announcing the first lockdown. The council redeployed staff from across the council trained in customer service and the Mental Capacity Act to ensure they were equipped to support Redbridge's most vulnerable residents. 

The Wellbeing Service supported:

• More than 26,000 shielding residents
• Hospital discharge teams with food supplies for discharged residents
• Children and Families teams and the multi-agency safeguarding hub with food supplies to ensure families were not going hungry
• Provided and delivered 960 food parcels to vulnerable families in Redbridge
• The collection and delivery of 216 prescriptions to vulnerable residents
• The delivery of food supplies to temporary accommodation as part of the rough sleeper's project to support people off the streets during the pandemic
• The local response to support vulnerable and disabled residents with booking COVID tests, in partnership with Sensory Service, including home testing support and alternative site support for those who could not attend a test centre
• Residents to divert pressure from Care Management

A Redbridge Council spokesperson said:  "The success of the Wellbeing Service is due to the tremendous Redbridge community spirit; we're delighted that the service was able to support local people through the distribution of more than 900 food parcels and the delivery of more than 200 much-needed prescriptions. 

"We would like to thank all the volunteers, council staff and the London Fire Service who helped make the Wellbeing Service a huge success."

Following the closure of the Wellbeing Service, Redbridge residents can continue to receive support through the council's usual channels. 

Residents who are experiencing food hardship can receive support through Redbridge foodbanks